The Importance of Quitting Smoking for Seniors
Smoking is an unhealthy habit and quitting smoking can help improve your health. As per the experts in healthcare, quitting smoking can add years to your life, let you have more energy, breathe more easily, etc. So, by quitting smoking, you can also reduce the risks of stroke, cancer, lung diseases, and heart attacks.
Smoking is a health hazard that can shorten your life. As per the statistics, one out of every five deaths in the country is caused by smoking-related health issues. Habitual smoking can lead to:
Lung Diseases:
Smoking can damage your airways and lungs and may lead to chronic bronchitis. Another major risk factor of smoking is emphysema, which can destroy your lungs and can make it very difficult for you to breathe.
Respiratory Issues:
As well as lung diseases, smokers have an increased chance of getting respiratory problems like pneumonia, flu, and other infections that can make it very difficult to breathe.
Heart Diseases:
Smoking can increase your risk of health issues like stroke and cardiac arrests.
Osteoporosis:
The risk of osteoporosis is very high among seniors and if your senior loved one is a smoker, it can increase the chance of osteoporosis.
Eye Diseases:
Smoking can increase the chances of eye diseases and infections, which can result in loss of vision and blindness. These eye diseases include macular degeneration due to aging and cataracts.
Diabetes:
In the opinion of many experts in senior care, smoking can increase the chance of developing type 2 diabetes. Also, it can make it difficult to control diabetes once your senior loved one has it. Diabetes when uncontrolled can result in heart diseases, kidney failure, blindness, nerve diseases, and amputations.
In addition to the above health issues, smoking can make muscles tire easily, increase the chances of erectile dysfunction, make it difficult for wounds to heal, and make skin wrinkled and dry.
Help Your Senior With Quitting
Overall, if your senior loved one is a smoker and you want to care for their health, then it is your responsibility to help the person quit. In the opinion of many caregivers in various senior assisted living facilities, the first step to quitting smoking is to make a strong decision to quit the habit. Having the encouragement and support of a loved one is shown to help begin this process. In addition, it is important to help them select a definite date to stop. Help them to devise plans to deal with situations that can trigger the smoking urge of your senior loved one. There are several different approaches you can follow to help them reach their goal. For further guidance, ask the doctor of your senior loved one for help in the process.